1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of motor vehicles, and in particular to an occupant safety system for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Devices and systems that attempt to reduce occupant injury in the event of a collision have been proposed. In some cases, a soft padding material has been used to absorb energy and provide protection for the occupant. Often, the size of the padding material was increased to improve the level of occupant protection. U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,135 to Lim et al. is an example of such a system. The Lim et al. patent teaches various bolsters attached to the outer and inner walls of the door. In some embodiments, bolsters are attached only to the inner panel of the door. These embodiments can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.
A key feature of the Lim et al. patent is the arrangement of the bolsters with respect to door trim panel 38. Lim et al. provides a bolster that is attached to inner panel 18 and extends beyond door trim panel 38 and into the passenger compartment. Lim teaches the use of apertures or holes formed in door trim panel 38 that allow the bolsters 46 and 48 to extend into the passenger compartment. The '135 patent uses the term “protract” to describe this arrangement. See, for example, column 3, lines 42-45 of the Lim et al. patent: “The energy absorbing bolsters 46, 48 protract through the apertures 41, 42, respectively, in the door trim panel 38 and into the occupant compartment of the vehicle 12.”
These systems, while possibly improving occupant protection, proved to be wide and cumbersome. The additional padding material also intruded into the passenger compartment, and reduced interior space.
Another source of occupant injury that has recently been discovered is injury caused by protruding objects. Occupants can be cut or injured by metal protruding into passenger cabin during a collision. The protruding metal is often broken, bent or twisted during a collision and this deformation of the metal can introduce sharp edges to the protruding metal objects. A system is needed that offers protection from sharp metal protruding into the passenger compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,600 to Yamada et al. is directed to an energy absorbing door trim member. The '600 patent discloses a number of different embodiments. In one kind of embodiment, shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the deflection of a portion of the door trim serves as an energy absorbing structure. Notice that in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, a portion of the arm rest is deflected. In another embodiment, referred to in the specification as the fourth embodiment, one or more pads are used to help absorb energy. See column 7, line 41 to column 8, line 67; see also FIGS. 9 and 10. In all of these embodiments, Yamada is concerned with providing an energy absorbing device in the vicinity of an occupant's femur and below the illium (shown in the Figures as 18C) of the femur. While this arrangement may offer some protection against femur injury, it does little to prevent injury from protruding metal objects entering the passenger compartment during a collision.
There is currently a need for an occupant protection system that maintains a low profile and does not project into the passenger compartment and a system that is capable of displacing or moving occupant away from incoming metal objects.